What are the chances?
by ventus101
Summary: What if batman didn't take Dick Grayson in after his parents died? what if it was Slade? Slade wants an apprentice and seems to have his eyes set on poor newly orphaned Dick, it seems Dick may be in for a world full of trouble. Bad summary i know.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi guys, I've had this story idea for a while now so let me know what you think. If there are any mistakes please let me know and I will change them; I was up late typing this so may have gotten sloppy. Anyway, on to the story, please leave me a review to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I wish I did cus if I did the original teen titans would still be on. Anyway all rights go to their respected owners.

An unexpected meeting

000-Slade Wilson-000

Location: Haunt-Jump city

Date: 7th July 2013

Time: 7:30 Am

Slade was sat at his Desk, deep in thought; going over-yet again, all of the possible candidates to become the perfect apprentice to follow in his foot prints; to be a worthy heir.

He had been, for a long time searching for the perfect pupil, though his search had thus far all been in vain- all of the candidates so far had come up short; they were to weak- both mentally and physically or just plain unsuited for his needs. He needed someone fiery, strong willed and unyielding.

Now that he thought about it he was after a younger version of himself. It was only logical; only someone who closely resembled himself could possibly be a worthy heir.

_Where?_He thought as he ran his hand through his snow white hair in vexation,_where would I find such a child? Maybe I'm being too picky._

Just then his old time friend and Butler, William Wintergreen, walked into the room; he looked over in Slade's direction.

"Any luck?" he asked raising a questioning eyebrow at the man.

"None. All of them are too weak. I've searched and searched yet come up with nothing" Slade sighed, rubbing his good eye.

"Maybe you want too much Slade. What exactly are you after hmm? A second chance at parenting perhaps?" the old man asked in an accusing tone, with a wry smirk plastering his face, and his arms crossed over his chest.

Slade responded with a sharp glare directed towards wintergreen.

"don't even go there Will" Slade's reaction only caused the man's smirk to grow twice its original size; it was obvious he was amused by the lack of a solid answer from the man.

"Calm down Slade. No need to get your breeches in a twist. Really, you could turn someone to stone with that look" wintergreen chuckled.

"If only, Will" Slade answered with a small smirk of his own.

"Now, now Slade. Don't get greedy, what with your enhanced healing and fighting abilities you hardly need to be able to turn someone to stone. Then again, with a face like yours…" Wintergreen trailed off with a sarcastic tone and light grin.

"Watch it will; if you carry on you may just end up with a bullet in your head" Slade said with a mischievous twinkle in his uncovered eye.

"Oh please Slade; you wouldn't kill me. No-one else would put up with your infuriating ego" Wintergreen stated in a bored voice, shooting a dry look at Slade.

"I guess your right Will, no one else would put up with me. I guess I'll finally get some peace and quiet" Slade said with a wry Smirk as he stood up. " I have a contract in Gotham tonight so I'd best be going now, I need to prepare for any chance that Gotham's Giant rodent might show up, besides I can't spend all of my time searching for a seemingly non-existent apprentice now can I? "

"Giving up then?" wintergreen asked, looking up at his long-time friend.

Slade looked at wintergreen and shook his head "Not giving up- merely postponing my search until further notice" Slade said. Without saying another word the mercenary left the room to suit up. He had a contract to fulfil.

000-Dick Grayson-000

Location: Haly's circus-Gotham City

Date: 7th July 2013

Time: 8:20PM

"Whoohoo" A young daredevil by the name of Dick Grayson yelled as he ran, jumped and flipped over the countless obstacles obstructing his path.

"Dick-sweetie, time for dinner" Dick stopped at the sound of his mother's welcoming voice and changed his course to head towards his family's trailer.

"Coming mom" was the young hooligan's chipper response as he raced towards his mother.

When Dick arrived at the door, he was hit by the mouth-watering aroma of his mother's home made sausage, mash and onion gravy. Dick took his seat at the table, giving both his parents a bright smile and tucked in to his food- scoffing it down as quickly as humanly possible.

"Slow down Dick; your food isn't going anywhere" John Grayson said with a small chuckled at his son's eager behaviour.

"I wanna go practice! " The wide eyed, seven year old announced.

"You can practice in a minute, my little Robin; you're going to make yourself ill if you eat that fast" Mary Grayson smiled softly.

"Done!" Dick exclaimed with a sheepish smile, before he jumped out of his chair and ran to the main tent. He reached the entrance but was stopped by the sound of voices; Dick hid behind the flap of the entrance and began to listen.

"All I'm saying Mr Haley, is that it'd be such a shame if some kinda tragic accident should fall upon your precious circus. If you were to hire me and my brothers here, that wouldn't happen; that I can assure you of" An unfamiliar voice said.

"I'm afraid, Mr Zucco… "A voice Dick recognised to be Mr Haley's started.

"Please call me Tony" The man he assumed to be Zucco interrupted.

"As I was saying, Mr Zucco, I do not pay out protection money; so if that is all, I would appreciate it if you and your brothers would leave" Mr Haley said in an even tone.

"Alright. We'll go, but I'd hate to see anything bad happen to this place" Dick couldn't see his face, but Zucco's tone sounded very dangerous and sinister.

Dick started to creep backwards when he heard movement, but was stopped dead in his tracks when Zucco and what appeared to be his brothers exited the tent.

Zucco's eyes met with Dick's, causing the boy to squirm under the gaze. The man, upon seeing the boy's discomfort, flashed him an eerie smile. Dick gathered up all of his courage and struck the man with a hard glare before running over to his parents, who were currently exiting their trailer.

Dick slammed into his dad, who lifted him up in the air and spun him around a few times before settling his son on his hip. John chuckled lightly at Dick and proceeded to ruffle Dick's hair affectionately; getting quite a few meek whines from his son.

"Hey champ, where you going in such a hurry, the show is _that_ way. Come on kiddo; we need to get you ready" John smiled.

Dick turned his head around to find Zucco gone. He turned back round to face his dad and said "umm…maybe we shouldn't go on tonight" Dick suggested timidly.

"Why not sweetheart?" Mary asked her son.

"There was this guy and…" Dick started before he was cut off by his father.

"Everything will be fine Dickie; there is nothing to be afraid of" John Grayson reassured Dick with a smile. Dick, being as naïve as any seven year old; took his father's word as law. If his dad said everything would be fine-everything _would_ be fine. There was no doubt about it.

He allowed his dad to carry him through the back entrance of the show tent and help him get into his costume; He still wasn't too fond on the design- a red vest with an "R" above his chest and dark green leggings, but he wore the outfit with pride all the same. Before long, Dick found himself standing at the top of the trapeze with his parents. Like hundreds of times before they waved, smiled and Dick received a number of "awws" from the audience.

His father skilfully swung down and flipped to grab hold of the nearest swing before somersaulting to the next one in time to catch his mother, who was flipped towards him. Everything was going great- As usual-it would soon be his turn. He was exited to; once again perform his recently perfected quadruple somersault.

Dick's excitement was quickly extinguished when he heard something rattling above him; he cautiously looked up and, to his immense dread saw the bolts holding the trapeze wires up were loosening, just as his father, once again caught his mother. Their combined weight was enough to send the wire and his parents crashing down to the ground.

Before Dick could truly comprehend the situation, he heard a sickening crack and a series of terrified gasps, though no one screamed as loud as the distraught seven year boy. He stood there shell shocked, until he felt himself being carried down by who he recognised as Mr Haley. When they reached the bottom, Dick caught sight of the crumpled bodies of his parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Dick screamed at the top of his voice and tried to escape from Mr Haley's grip "No…no…no, no, no, no, No! lemme go!"

Mr Haley stroked Dick's hair and allowed him to cry his heart out on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Dick; let's go kiddo you don't need to see this. It'll be alright Dick. Shhh It'll be alright Dickie" The man said as he began to rub Dick's back soothingly. _ How can he say that_ Dick thought _they're dead_ at this thought the boy cried even harder.

Dick burrowed his head in Mr Haley's shoulder, seeking all the comfort he could possibly get in this horribly surreal situation.

000-9:40PM-000

It hadn't been long before cops were swarming the place, it was almost as if they were taking over. That many officers scared Dick; he didn't know what was happening. He knew what he saw- he just couldn't understand; everything had been going so well. Zucco Dick thought it had to be him. Who else could it have been? The cops who had interviewed Dick had dismissed it as an accident- but Dick, despite his young age knew better.

Another officer then walked over and asked to speak to Mr Haley. He set Dick down gently, before looking the boy in the eyes.

"I'll be back real soon okay Dickie" The man told him with a sad smile on his face; it was clear he was worried about something.

_But What?_

Dick pushed that thought away- he didn't need anything else crowding his young mind.

"Mmmhhhh" Dick mumbled in response. He watched as Mr Haley turned and walked away to talk to the police officer.

He couldn't hear much of the conversation and quite frankly he didn't care. He did, however, break out of his trance when he heard shouting.

"What do you mean he can't stay with us? Mr Haley yelled; annoyance clearly evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry sir but he can't. He'll have to stay in a juvenile detention centre until there is a place in the orphanage" The man replied.

"Are you crazy? The boy has just lost his parents and now you are going to treat him like a delinquent! Out of all of the boneheaded, ridiculous things I have heard in my life…" Mr Haley trailed off unable to finish his sentence through his anger.

_Delinquent?_

Dick didn't know what that word meant but it didn't sound good. He didn't want to go to some centre- he _wouldn't_ go. Despite his fear he didn't want to go wherever the police wanted to take him so he ran back to his trailer, luckily there were very few cops there. He didn't want to stay long so all he took was a red jacket and a photo of him and his parents, which he slipped in his jacket pocket, put it on then ran off into the darkness.

000-Slade Wilson-000

Location: Crime alley- Gotham City

Date: 7th July

Time: 10:15

Slade had just finished up in Gotham; easy contract- locate and kill his target.

Simple.

He now, wanted to get back to jump as soon as possible and was on his way to his private Jet so would be home by Morning.

Slade was walking past a dark alley way when he became aware of what sounded like a child sobbing. He had finished his contract, so it wouldn't hurt to go and check the noise out.

As he walked into the alley he heard a quiet gasp and some movement. _Well this is getting weird_ Slade thought to himself amusedly.

He was greeted by the sight of a hooded young boy. The boy scampered away in fright and put up a meek fighting stance. Slade was rather annoyed that he couldn't see the boy's face so with lightning fast reflexes, he grabbed the boy by the front of his Jacket and roughly yanked the hood down.

Slade was beyond surprised at what he saw; an incredibly young boy with messy raven locks and dazzling blue eyes. The main thing that caught his eye was the puffy redness around the boy's eyes and the tear stains trailing down his cheek.

"Hey lemme go!" The boy yelled and back flipped out of Slade's grasp by kicking him in the chest.

"Well, that was certainly unexpected" Slade said with a hidden smirk as he dusted himself off.

The boy had no choice but to back up as Slade advanced towards him, once again he took a weak defensive stance.

Soon the boy had nowhere to go and Slade pinned the boy against the alley wall; a hand on each of his shoulders. The boy shuddered and started to struggle, but to no avail- Slade was just too strong for the boy.

When the boy realised this, his shoulders slumped, he ducked his head and broke down in tears. The boy looked completely terrified and utterly helpless to the point Slade almost felt bad._ Almost._ Slade moved his right hand to the boy's chin, tilting it up so the boy was looking at him.

"What's your name, boy?" Slade asked, his voice as monotone as always.

The boy trembled but didn't answer. He was scared and Slade didn't blame him.

"It's okay kiddo, I'm not going to hurt you" Slade said uncharacteristically softly, trying to reassure this timid Boy.

_He wasn't going to hurt him_

"Di…Dick Grayson" The boy; Dick stuttered. Slade looked thought full, _of course!_ This boy was Richard Grayson the acrobat; it would certainly explain the backflip from before. This boy was a child prodigy.

"I've seen you preform- your incredible. How old are you Dick?"

"S…seven" the boy replied quicker, this time.

Slade's visible eye widened, a boy his age shouldn't be out on his own.

"What are you doing out here alone? Gotham has quite the reputation for murder you know"

"my mommy and daddy are dead… the police are trying to put me in a delinquent place. I won't go. I won't!" The boy said, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm not suggesting you do" Slade said slyly" you can come with me and I'll train you"

"I don't wanna!" the boy yelled before kneeing Slade in the crotch. He released Richard and groaned. Well that boy continued to surprise him.

"That was rude…" Slade growled dangerously, Grabbing the boy by his hood before he had chance to run off.

"Lemme go you creep!" Dick yelled and wrenched out of Slade's grip with such force he fell over. Slade chuckled and pulled out a chloroform soaked cloth and walked over to kneel beside the boy, pushing it to his mouth before the boy could get up.

"No! What are you doing? Stop! No,no,no,no" the boy's muffled voice came out as his eyes began to droop.

"Goodnight Richard" Slade said softly as the boy drifted off to sleep. He pocketed the cloth before carefully picking up the boy bridal style. Slade smiled under the mask.

This boy was promising. He had fire, spirit and talent. Maybe he has found the perfect apprentice in this young boy.

_What were the chances?_

-Ventus 101-

A/N let me know what you think, should I carry on? Please read and review guys.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: WOW. I wanted to thank you guys for all you support; seriously every review, favourite and follow means the world to me and gives me the inspiration to carry on writing, so thanks so much! I never thought I would get so much support XD

I apologise for the update time, I've been kinda busy lately, first I had work experience and then I went on holiday for a week so couldn't type it up. Any outstanding mistakes let me know and I will correct them.

Awkward introductions 

000-William Wintergreen-000

Location: Haunt-Jump city

Date: 8th July 2013

Time: 9:00 AM

It would be an understatement to say that he had been shocked when Slade sauntered into the living area of the haunt at five in the morning, carrying a small, raven haired boy in his arms. Of course, Wintergreen had questioned Slade, though he knew all too well that Slade had an annoying tendency to be vague; only saying that the boy would be staying with them as he had potential. Did he tell him who the boy was or where he found him? Of course not.

He had then placed the boy on the sofa; pulling the blanket from the top of it and depositing it on the sleeping boy's frame, before proceeding to leave the room, asking Will to watch the boy while he did some research on him.

That was what he was currently doing. The boy had been sleeping soundly for the past few hours-no doubt due to whatever Slade had given him, but was now becoming increasingly unsettled.

"Mommy, Daddy… no! Don't go. Please "the boy mumbled in his sleep-his breathing rapid.

Wintergreen didn't like where that was going. It once again begged the question-_where did Slade find the boy and what happened to him?_

He hurried out of the room and down the hall until he reached Slade's room. Not bothering to knock; he swung the door open and barged in.

"Will, what are you doing?" Slade asked curiously, not steering his sight on the computer screen for even a second.

"There is a young boy in the other room, did you know that?" Slade finally turned around at this; giving Wintergreen a look that just screamed-_Have you gone mad?_

"I am well aware of that fact Will, thank you." Slade said with a frown evident on his face, Wintergreen sighed; for someone who could supposedly use up to 90% of his brain power, sometimes Slade could be unbelievably slow.

"Well then, perhaps you should go and wake him up, he isn't sleeping too well." Will suggested in a tone that made it clear that it wasn't just a suggestion.

"Nightmares?" Slade asked with a heavy sigh.

"You sound like you were expecting this." wintergreen stated.

"Well, I'm not surprised." Slade said, in an almost remorseful tone; as he turned the computer monitor around to face Will.

He was shocked at what he saw, on the screen there were two images; one of the well-known family of acrobats mid performance and another one of the youngest member of the family with a bright smile. Underneath the pictures was an article, he scanned through it.

_Gotham… The flying Grayson's… Tragic death… in front of their young son…Seven year old Richard Grayson missing…Zucco disappeared…_

"Oh my, so the boy out there is-"

"Richard Grayson. I found him in an alley in Gotham; he impressed me, besides if I had left him he would probably be dead by now." Slade finished, looking at him carefully "He's an Orphan now; no one will miss him. The GPD were going to send him to a juvenile delinquent centre."

"The Poor boy. How could they even comprehend sending him there?" Will just couldn't understand, surely they would be a support network for situations like that- emergency fostering?

"It's Gotham city Will; one of the few places on earth where the police are just corrupt as the criminals they convict. The whole system is in shambles, run by a bunch of hypocrites who don't give a damn about anyone else but themselves. As long as they are rich and happy they find it almost too easy to overlook the rest of the population."

"You are a _real_ man of the people, Slade." Will said dryly, sending the man in front of him a cynical look "Are you going to stand around here conversing with me, or are you going to go and talk to him?"

Slade looked up at him and reached out for his mask, lying on the side of his Desk. Wintergreen snatched it, leaving Slade grasping thin air. Slade growled and glowered at him, only causing him to smirk triumphantly. _Yes, this old man still has it, not that I need to prove that to Slade-oh no, he knows all too well._

"I don't advise you go in with your mask-"

"Will, don't –"

"-he's scared enough as it is, wearing that will only make him dislike you." Wintergreen finished, completely ignoring Slade's interruption entirely.

"I am not going to coddle him." Slade said, sounding rather exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up and left the room.

_Honestly-that man sometimes…_

000-Slade Willson-000

Location: Haunt-Jump city

Date: 8th July 2013

Time: 9:07 AM

_Blasted Will-Couldn't he have sorted this out?_

Of course he could have, he just chose not to; to Slade's immense displeasure. Sure he could train the kid- no problem there, but emotional needs? That was _not_ Slade's forte. He had done it before of course, with his own kids, but he hadn't exactly excelled then.

What made Will think that _he_, Slade Wilson; the infamous _deathstroke the terminator _could possibly nurture any emotional needs?

It wasn't in his nature; he wasn't one for giving hugs or any real emotionalcomfort to people, but Will was right- the boy needed it. The question was-_Could he provide it?_

Oh boy, he was way out of his comfort zone.

He could hear the boy before he could see him; his screams were echoing around the halls of the haunt. Slade sighed and increased his speed, quickly reaching the living room.

The boy was tossing and turning on the sofa, looking increasingly distressed, his small frame getting tangled in the blanket.

"Mom…Dad…No!-mm sorry…" Richard trailed off with a sob, burying his head into his arms. Slade felt sorry for the boy. Well almost. He walked over to the couch and was instantly aware of the sweat causing his raven locks to cling to his head.

"Richard?" Slade asked awkwardly. The boy only grumbled in response so Slade walked over and shook the boy gently causing his eyes to snap open as he shot into a sitting position. Upon seeing Slade the boy jump, resulting in a loud thud as he fell to the floor.

"Oww…where…who…you!" Dick grumbled, as his eyes caught sight of Slade's insignia. Ah, so he recognised him. Dick looked around frantically, he leapt up and ran to the first door he saw; Slade was faster though, once again grabbing him by his hood.

"Stupid hood!" Dick exclaimed in frustration" Leave me alone! I want to go home!" Dick yelled emphasising each syllable with great urgency as he punched and kicked Slade; Flailing endlessly in his grasp.

_Little brat._

Slade had had enough. He turned Dick around and marched him to the nearest corner; pushing him in so that his face was touching the cool wall. He couldn't lose it with the boy-he would most likely end up with a few broken bones. Slade Wilson was many things, but he could safely say that he didn't beat children. He could _not_ lose it-he _would_ not lose it.

"Hey wattaya doing? Lemme go!" Dick cried, Slade had only listened to the boy speak a few times, but he could already tell that the boy slurred his words together when he was angry, Maybe it was an age thing but either way they would have to work on that. While it was partially cute it was also incredibly annoying.

"Not until you calm down and apologise for-"

"I don't wanna apologise! I didn't do anything wrong!" Dick cut in

"–your rudeness," Slade continued before adding "and don't interrupt me again." His tone turning dark. Dick seemed to catch the unspoken threat and thankfully ceased his struggles, trying to calm himself down; though it seemed that he had already gotten into such a state that he couldn't bring himself back.

Slade reached out to Dick, placing a hand on the boy's back as he began to rub in a small circular motion. The boy instantly went rigid for a moment but then the strangest thing happened; the boy relaxed and seemed to almost melt into the touch.

Strange.

Taking a few deep breaths Dick turned his head slightly to rest his cheek on the wall, hopefully that would be the last of the disputes out of the way; he didn't want to start this mentor/student relationship to start off rocky.

"I'm…I'm sorry for being rude and interrupting you; I…I won't do it again." Dick sputtered breathing slowly. Slade was satisfied- so the boy _could_ be polite.

"Good boy," Slade said approvingly" are you ready to talk now?

The boy nodded sullenly, causing Slade to gently grip his shoulders then lead him to the sofa. He pushed Dick down then took the seat next to him.

"Umm… what's your name?" Dick's eyes were sparkling with innocence and curiosity, there was something about those eyes that enabled them to bore into ones soul; they were so pure.

"I guess it is a bit unfair that I know your name but you don't know mine," Slade drawled "my name is Slade Wilson" Dick nodded

"Why am I here?"

Ah. He had been waiting for that question; he had honestly been expecting it earlier, but no he received a heated outburst from the boy.

"I have been looking for an apprentice for quite some time now and Richard, I've chosen you. Congratulations." He said silkily with a smirk, awaiting the boy's reaction.

A spark of defiance lit up in Dick's eyes; He crossed his arms and huffed. Slade knew he had chosen the right one- Dick was just too much like him

"What If I don't wanna be your app-app-prentice?" Slade had to stop himself chuckling at the boy's difficulty pronouncing the word. It was almost cute.

"You see dick, you don't have a choice in the matter." The boy's cerulean eyes widened briefly before narrowing into a glare- well it seemed his apprentice had trouble recognising authority; that would have to be corrected.

Dick made to stand up but Slade grabbed his wrist at a speed that could make the Flash jealous, twisting it slightly, effectively making the boy sit down with a wince.

When the boy was back in a sitting position, Slade relieved the pressure but didn't let go; he needed the kid's attention, after all.

"You can't keep me here," The boy said in a slightly defeated tone "the cops will come looking for me"

Well he walked right into that one.

"You mean the cops that you ran away from-in Gotham city no less- the first place they'll look for you is in the bottom of the nearest river," Slade pause to let the message sink in. He leaned forward and whispered "besides, we are not in Gotham city anymore"

Dick took on a pained expression; he pulled his free hand up to clutch his head and began shaking it frantically

"No, no, no, no, why is this happening? Did I do something wrong?" He burst out into tears "I want my mom and Dad"

"I can't bring your parents back, Dick," Slade began carefully "But I can take care of you. Here is better than a detention centre, right? If you become my Student, You'll have a home and I can make you strong enough to make Zucco pay. You'll be the best, Dick"

"Why do you wanna help me?

"I said before; I want an apprentice. You impressed me back in that alley"

"How?" Dick asked "I lost. That's why I'm here, right? Because I wasn't strong enough to get away"

The boy honestly expected too much from himself; he had no training, no experience and yet still expected to beat him.

"I'm older, bigger and stronger than you." Slade smirked; _Oh yes_, the mighty Slade Wilson could proudly boast that he had, in fact, bested a seven year old.

"What would you teach me?"

Slade smirked; so the boy _was_ interested.

"How to fight, steal and inevitably kill." Slade trailed off as if those were completely normal things for a seven year old boy to learn.

"Wait-what?" Dick asked in a startled tone "No, I can't-only bad guys do that"

_How precious_ Slade thought_ he has a sense of morality; and here I thought I could fill his head with my morals. Oh well; they shouldn't be too hard to replace-should they?_

"The world is not so cut and dry Richard; people only see in black and white, completely neglecting the vast grey area. The people I kill are criminals," He paused "people like Zucco" He added in a soft undertone.

Dick's eye's turned dark. His whole body started to tremble in anger, his fists clenched. Slade hadn't expected quite as hostile a reaction out of the boy as he received.

"Shut up! I don't-you don't know anything about me, I'm not a killer-"Dick's voice became almost inaudible "I'm not like him"

"No, you're not" Slade assured the boy "If you don't approve of killing, what do you suggest?"

"Jail-"

"So they can break out again? If you kill them, they are gone for good; they can't hurt anyone ever again." His voice turned soft "This wasn't Zucco's first murder, you know. Don't you wish someone had wiped him from the face of the earth? If someone had done so-"

"My parents would still be alive." Dick finished sullenly as he ducked his head in an attempt to hide his tears. Slade saw though (of course he saw; he wasn't the world's best tactician for no reason); he reached forward and wiped his tears away, then lowered his hand to Dick's chin, finally releasing the boy's wrist.

He wasn't going anywhere.

He placed his now free hand on Dick's shoulder and tilted the boy's chin to look up at him.

"If you don't channel your grief, it will overwhelm you. _Destroy_ you."

"How do I control it?"

Slade held back a smirk.

_Perfect. _

"You need to focus on something. Something worth fighting for; your parent's memory perhaps."

The boy nodded meekly, looking slightly defeated yet by no means broken.

_Yes. The boy has spirit no doubt about that _Slade thought. It was one of the things he liked about the boy; that and his bravado.

Enough of that-he would have plenty of time to change the boy's point of view later. Now he had better introduce him to will before the old man got in a huff about not being included.

"Well, we will work on that later, but now breakfast; you must be hungry."

The boy's stomach growled on cue, causing his cheeks to flush bright pink. Slade smirked and began to walk away. He turned his head back to see the boy still sitting.

"Well come on." he said in a slightly exasperated tone.

The boy hesitated for a moment before jumping up (unnaturally high in Slade's opinion) and running over to Slade.

Slade smiled; _so far, so good._

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter and the lack of Dick's POV; it was originally longer-a lot longer with Dick's POV being the longest part, but I wanted to get this up and it would have taken longer to update going with the original chapter. This being the case I split it into two (the next one being longer) hopefully it will be up soon.

I know; not a lot of action that will change though so don't worry XD the first few chapters will be setting the scene.

Sorry if Dick seems a little OOC, but in his position I felt I would be kinda confused too but I can assure you he will be back to his smart mouthed self soon enough XD

By the way this is sort of a father/son fic (I love them as a family) so probably will contain fluff (sorry if you don't like that stuff and there will be NO major Richard beating. I just can't do that to the poor guy, especially when he is 8.

**Life as an apprentice can be lonely (even with someone as epic as Slade as a mentor) so Dickie needs a friend. I'm thinking of Damian Al Ghul/ Wayne as Slade probably gets on with the Al Ghul's so Could introduce him and Dick. Jason Todd is another option. I will be judging on the number of votes so leave me a review with your ideas. XD**

So yeah review; tell me what you liked, disliked, any improvements, I love your input.

~Ven~


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

Thanks again for the reviews and ideas, you guys have given me a lot to consider so thanks XD keep the ideas coming.** Who should be Dick's friend? A similar aged Damian, a grown up Jason/ elder brother (Thanks for the great idea ****RJG Lover, ****I hadn't thought of that) or both. Leave me a review to let me know.**

Disclaimer: Still own nothing

Chapter 3 (Due to my inability to come up with chapter names)

000-Dick Grayson-000

Location: Unknown

Date: 8th July 2013

Time: 9:45 AM

Dick was deep in thought; he didn't know what to think. This man was offering him a home – that was very much welcomed. He had only been on the streets of Gotham for a few hours and he could safely say he never wanted to again. This man was a murderer though; he couldn't stay with him, could he?

No. Slade hadn't done anything to hurt him as of yet but someone who worked as a killer had to have problems. Normal people didn't do things like that.

Part of him understood – hell even agreed with Slade. Part of him wanted to put Zucco to justice and part of him knew that the only way that would happen would be through ending him. Permanently.

But still, only a small part of him believed that. The part held the grief stricken boy who had watched helplessly as his parents fell to their deaths. The rest of him knew killing was wrong. If he killed, what would there be separating him from Zucco.

_Nothing, _Dick thought,_ and then I would be just like him._

Still –No.

Zucco needed to be put to justice, but not like that. He would not become a killer. What would his parents think?

_They're dead Grayson. Remember you failed them. The least you could do is avenge them._ The darkness within him urged. He had been hearing from this side of him since he woke up, never when his parents died. It was like their deaths had unlocked the demon inside of him. The demon voicing all of his hidden doubts, the demon who at times could be so convincing, the demon he never knew he had.

_No. shut up! _Dick's inner voice screamed.

_I'm only saying what you're thinking, what you're too afraid to admit._

_No!_

_Coward._

_Shut up!_

Thankfully the voice stopped, unlike Dick who had been too busy battling his inner demon to realise Slade had stopped and walked into him.

_Ow. Holy brick that hurt, _Dick thought.

"Sorry…" Dick mumbled bashfully.

The man nodded, though Dick noticed the small smirk on the man's face as he moved to the side allowing Dick to see a brightly lit Kitchen and dining area. The room was open plan with the kitchen at the far side. The room seemed very homely with a breakfast bar and stools at one of the kitchen work top. The walls were a pale orange and the tiles in the kitchen were white. The worktops held a vast number of cooking utensils and spices of all kinds.

_I guess this guy likes orange,_ Dick thought with a smirk.

What really hit him was the smell, it was absolutely mouth-watering and it took all of Dick's self- control to stop himself running to the source.

Shyly, Dick peeked around Slade's side to see an old man bustling around in the kitchen. He looked up at Slade not quite knowing what to expect from the man and hoping Slade would provide an answer. As a response Slade placed his hand on Dick's back – easing him forward. Dick resisted slightly still a little nervous.

"It's alright Dick – this is Will." Slade introduced.

The man turned around and waltzed over to them at the sound of his name. He looked at Dick and smiled warmly.

"Why hello young man; no need to be shy – I don't bite, Slade on the other hand…" the man trailed off with a mischievous chuckle; extending his hand to Dick.

Dick looked back up at Slade who rolled his eye and shook his head. Dick looked back at Will and smiled softly at him; the man seemed nice enough so Dick returned the gesture. They shook hands for a moment before Will released him.

"Now why don't you sit yourself down and I'll bring you some breakfast. Slade, don't do anything to make our guest uncomfortable will you?"

Slade smirked and chuckled under his breath.

"Haven't you got something more important to worry about, our current supply of washing powder for instance?" Slade said wryly.

The old man shot Slade a stern glare causing his smug smirk to grow in strength. Dick bit back a giggle to no avail. He flushed as the sound escaped his lips.

"Well, at least someone appreciates my sense of humour." Slade mused

"Well, someone is bound to." The man said in a disinterested tone, shooting Slade a dry look.

"Jealousy is not a desirable quality, Will." Slade drawled as he reached down to ruffle Dick's hair, Dick pouted. He didn't like it when people messed up his hair.

Slade didn't seem to notice as he lowered his hand to Dick's shoulder to lead him over to a large wooden table.

Slade sat down at the table Dick jumped up onto the chair next to Slade and examined the table, it had been engraved beautifully. It seemed unreal that a criminal could live here. He had always pictured them living in some old run down ware house; this place seemed very welcoming.

His eyes once again caught sight of the patch over his right eye. Dick could only wonder what had happened to it – he certainly wasn't going to ask the man. Along with his short white hair, slight stubble and muscular build the eye patch only added to the man's all powerful image.

The man screamed out complete and unchallenged authority and dominance. Dick certainly didn't want to get on the wrong side of him – nope.

Unfortunately, it was not uncommon for Dick's brain and mouth to disagree with each other, a battle that Dick's smart mouth, more often than not won causing no end of trouble for him at school. It wasn't that Dick was cocky; he just found it hard to resist giving sarcastic answers to stupid questions. His teachers just didn't seem to appreciate his ability to unravel things they said and make them look foolish.

Dick's eyes met with Slade's good eye, the man seemed to be studying him carefully; he ducked his head in embarrassment.

"You can look at me you know." It was a statement not a question.

Dick looked back up – his cheeks burning. Boy he felt stupid.

"Um … yeah, right – I…." Dick trailed off – at a loss of what to say; gee what was it about the guy that made him nervous. It wasn't like he was scared or anything.

_He doesn't scare me._ Dick tried to assure himself, not very convincingly – not even he believed himself.

_You're a terrible liar Grayson_, The voice rang through his head,_ he scares you because you know you're not strong enough to stand up against him._

Dick managed to push his inner thoughts away as Will placed a full fry-up in front of him before sitting on the seat opposite him.

"So, you're the boy who has impressed Slade? You should be proud – he is rather picky." Will said in an attempt to spark up a conversation.

Slade rolled his eye and glared at Will, Dick found it funny to watch those two interact, they seemed like close friends yet brothers at the same time.

"I am not picky; I just have high standards." Slade murmured before tucking into his breakfast. Dick followed suit.

He took a bite out of the sausage. It was delicious, soon they had all finished and Dick had come to a conclusion – Damn that guy could cook.

"Thank you sir; that was amazing!" Dick said beaming up at the man, his eyes sparkling.

"Don't mention it Richard, really Slade could do with taking a leaf out of your book you're so polite. Please it's Will." the man replied with a warm smile.

It was funny how such small things could warm Dick's heart after everything – even the way Slade had wiped away his tears made him feel a little better. Well until he remembered who the man was, then he felt ashamed; accepting comfort from a criminal.

Could he be happy here?

In a way, Dick was glad that Slade took – well kidnapped him. Not that he would admit to it but the man was right; after running away – in Gotham of all places, he was lucky to be alive. He had been stupid and reckless, sure he had been angry but that didn't excuse him. He was seven years old for crying out loud.

If Slade hadn't showed up –

"Dick, I'll show you around while Will goes out to get you some clothes"

_Ok. This seems permanent if they're getting me clothes. Don't I get a say in this, _Dick thought_, apparently not._

"Um… yes sir." Dick said as he stood up. Slade smirked at the title.

_Why did I say that? You're an idiot Grayson; you've successfully boosted his overly large ego._

Slade turned to walk out of the room and Dick followed him.

The first thing that Dick discovered was that the place was huge, not only that but the number of winding corridors made the place like a maze. He could easily get lost if he wasn't careful and he didn't figure he would memorise the routes any time soon.

As they walked down the halls Dick was shown the living room, though he already knew where that was, Slade's study and a library though none of these interested Dick particularly. There were however three rooms along the main corridor but Dick wasn't going to ask.

They had just gone down to the basement and Dick saw two big doors on opposite sides of the hall, it almost reminded him of the two doors riddle they had done at school where one door led to death and the other untold riches. Each door in the riddle was guarded by an officer, one lied and the other told only the truth and the idea was to choose the door that led to the riches only asking one question. The riddle had caused a lot of problems at school, but Dick had always been quite a logical thinker so had decided that the best question would be to ask which door would the other guard say held the riches, and the door would be the one neither pointed at.

He knew it was stupid, but the riddle made him apprehensive about entering; never the less Dick swallowed his fear and continued. His father had always told him that being scared wasn't a weakness; it was one of the biggest strengths. The power of fear allowed you to do things that things you normally thought weren't humanly possible, run faster, fight longer and harder. What was important about fear was that you didn't let it control you, you couldn't let it win. You were a stronger person if you could overcome your fears than if you didn't have any to begin with. At first he had thought his dad was joking, everyone would want to be the brave hero who could face anything. Back in that alley he truly realised that his dad was right; he was scared witless but that made him stronger, he fought back, he might have even won if he wasn't so small.

Dick became aware that Slade had opened the door on the left. Dick's face instantly lit up as he looked inside; there was a huge indoor swimming pool. He was ecstatic, he began to fidget, he always did that when he saw something he wanted to try. It brought out the daredevil side of him.

"Whoa! That is awesome!" Dick exclaimed, it truly was. He loved swimming but he never got to go much, the circus was always moving. That was why he couldn't go to public school, they never stayed in one place for more than a week at the most, he had to make do with the circus tutor. He was decent enough but never taught anything particularly challenging. What use would a circus kid have of advanced math and science?

Dick was intelligent and he loved a challenge, but never really got one there. He wished he could of gone to public school or at least be taught more interesting stuff. That was where he differed from the other circus kids, he liked to learn.

"If you look over there," Slade said, directing Dick's gaze to some sort of built in room with a big glass window at the front "that is the control room; it allows me to control waves and temperature to stimulate different training scenarios." Slade said rather smugly.

"That is sooooo cool!" Dick proclaimed, he was practically buzzing with excitement.

"If you'll follow me," he must have noticed Dick's hesitance. He didn't want to go he doubted there would be anything better that the pool, "don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to come here, under supervision of course." he said the last part with a wry smirk.

Dick looked up with what he intended to be a scowl, though he was pretty sure it came out more as a pained pout. His eyes didn't help, his father had always joked that he couldn't take Dick seriously because of his eyes. They supposedly sparkled with innocence.

"Well I can't have you drowning, now can I kiddo?"

"I am a great swimmer!" Dick exclaimed at the top of his voice. He was a pretty strong swimmer for his age.

"That may be the case, but how responsible would I be if I allowed you to swim unattended? Besides Will would have my hide." Slade said dryly. Dick wondered how an old man like Will could possibly take on a guy like Slade.

"He can beat you?" Dick asked, confusion evident in his voice. Slade smirked again.

"No, but I wouldn't hear the end of it, Will can be quite persistent when pointing out things he disapproves of." Slade chuckled.

"Does it stop you – I mean other people's opinion on things you do?" Dick asked curiously, he would be lying if he said the man didn't intrigue him.

"You ask some good questions for someone your age, you know? You have a sense of understanding of the world that most grown adults have. I like that; as for your question – would you?"

Dick looked down for a minute, concentration etched deep in his face. Would he let other people's views stop him doing what he wanted to do?

Dick looked back up at the man. He was waiting patiently for Dick's answer.

"I suppose it – wait you can't answer a question with another question!" Dick exclaimed, that didn't answer his question. Not in the least.

"Touché," Slade replied "wisdom beyond your years Dick, most children would have answered my question." He reached over to tousle Dick's hair. Dick tried to avoid it but wasn't fast enough to avoid the impending dishevelling of his hair.

_Why do grown-ups have a weird obsession with messing my hair? _Dick thought. It was strange; they always seem to coo about how soft his hair was. He just couldn't figure out what the big appeal was. Maybe he was missing something.

"Stop messing my hair up!" Dick whined. Slade smirked and looked at him with great consideration, not removing his hand.

"Why, does it annoy you?" Slade asked feigning mock innocence.

"Yes." Dick replied hopefully. _Maybe he'll listen._

"I'll keep that in mind." Slade said seriously before ruffling his hair once more before withdrawing.

Dick sighed,_ will he hell_.

Slade turned to leave the room, Dick trudging close behind as they walked to the door on the opposite side of the hall. Slade opened the door and walked in. Dick followed.

He honestly didn't know what to say – he was utterly gobsmacked. Before him was a vast, expanding room filled with various training equipment and Dick began fidgeting again. He felt like he imagined most kids felt like in a sweet shop. He just wanted to try everything, then and there. There were also racks full of gadget and weapons. What really stood out for Dick was a compound bow. He had always been a fan of Robin hood so had always wanted to try archery.

Dick looked up at Slade in awe, his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly agape.

"Am I right to assume, by your inability to speak and rather dumbfounded expression that you like this room?" Slade asked wryly; a smirk lifting his lips.

Dick could feel himself heating up. Oh _great _he was blushing. Dick quickly averted his gaze by turning to focus on the bow.

Slade must have noticed because he walked over to the rack and grabbed the bow before returning to Dick.

"I noticed you were looking at this," Slade stated as he turned the weapon over in his hands examining it carefully, "You ever used a bow, Dick?"

"No-"Dick began.

"Hmm," Slade said with great consideration putting the weapon back, "I can teach you if you like."

Dick looked up him with wide eyes; the man would teach him how to use a bow, that was an amazing offer. Was he serious? His mom had always said it was too dangerous.

"Are you serious?" Dick asked, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"I am."

"Wow. Thank you – thank you – thank you!" Dick exclaimed with a grin.

Slade ruffled his hair, but surprisingly it didn't bother him; he was just too ecstatic for the act to extinguish his mood.

"Don't mention it kiddo," The man smiled before slipping his hand on Dick's shoulder, "come on. There's one more room I want to show you."

Slade used his grip on Dick's shoulder to manoeuvre him out of the room and up the stairs. Soon they were outside one of the rooms Dick had been wondering about. He directed him to his and will's room using a gesture.

"This," Slade started as he typed in a combination on the keypad. Dick heard a clicking sound before Slade opened the door, "is your room."

With that, Slade leaned against the door frame, giving Dick space to enter.

Dick looked around; it was fairly big with a double bed in the middle, with a dark blue cover, the walls were a soft, baby blue. Opposite the bed was a desk and chair and to the side a door leading to an En suite bathroom. On the wall with the door was a dresser and on the other wall, a fairly large bookshelf. All in all it seemed pretty comfortable.

"I'll leave you to settle in; Will should be along soon with some clothes. It's almost 11:30 so I'll come and get you in half an hour for lunch, then we can have a go in the training room, have a go with the bow. Sound good?" The man asked

"Yeah!" Dick beamed at the man.

"Well alright then" Slade smirked ruffling Dick's hair before leaving – shutting the door behind him.

Dick sighed; sitting down on the bed, which was incredibly soft._ Dammit Grayson, focus,_ Dick thought. He didn't know what to think about Slade, the apprenticeship or any of it. On one hand, it was better than being alone in Gotham, but then again the guy was a criminal.

_Should I really accept this from a criminal?_ Dick asked himself.

He lay down, utterly confused. God he wished his parents were there; they would know what to do – then again, he wouldn't be there if they were. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his knees up to his chest. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his photo of his family, he clutched it tightly. He wrapped his arms around his knees as he buried his head against them.

He didn't know what to do.

Did he do something wrong? Did someone hate him? Why did everything have to be so complicated?

He couldn't break down. He couldn't cry. He had to be strong, for them.

A single tear slipped passed his defences.

A/N : so what did you think? Leave me a little review to let me know. Ideas are more than welcome, any big mistakes bothering you? Tell me, I did go over it but it can be astonishing the things I miss in my own writing.

Next chapter: Dick gains first-hand experience when training with Slade( featuring Grayson angst YAY)

Ven


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

Thank you for every Review, favourite and follow guy's it means a lot so please keep it up. Also is anyone good at drawing, I'm not so if anyone could do me a huge favour and draw a cover, the winner will get either a one shot or a chapter in put.

Also I am going to try to get my next chapter up by Friday, I work better under pressure and also reviews would help XD.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Chapter 4

0000-Dick Grayson-000

Location: Unknown

Date: 8th July 2013

Time: 2:00 PM

It hadn't been long before Wintergreen had turned up with some clothes, instructing him to wear something sporty. They had then had Lunch and Dick quickly realised that Will was an amazing cook. He couldn't recall ever tasting anything so good – his mom was a great cook so that was really saying something.

He was now standing in the centre of the training room opposite Slade. The man was wearing the gear he had been wearing when he had captured, minus the mask and armour. Dick would be lying if he said that the absence of those items made the man look any less intimidating. The man was like a giant; Dick seriously doubted he would ever reach anywhere near Slade's height – it was more than just his height though, the man had an air of authority about him that made Dick want shrink back. It was that that Dick both admired and feared about Slade – sometimes simultaneously. Dick wanted to be strong, like Slade; if he was, he could protect the people he cared about. He wouldn't be helpless ever again – he wouldn't have to rely on other people to look after him. He wouldn't have to be poor, weak, Dick Grayson.

He could make something of himself.

Slade walked a few feet away from Dick, before turning towards him.

"Before I can teach you anything, I need to see what I have to work with," he fell into fighting stance and beckoned him. "Attack me."

Dick shot him a confused look. Was he mad? Dick couldn't fight him. He had never been much of a fighter. Sure he had gotten into his fair share of fights back at the circus; he had won a lot of them but they had been mostly playing around with his friend Raymond. Raymond had been the more boisterous of the two, jumping straight into things; while Dick preferred calculating the outcome beforehand. That wasn't to say Dick wasn't a risk taker, no he was quite the opposite. When it came to being in the air Dick never looked back. His dad had said that it would get him into trouble someday. He was always looking forward, never back brushing away the things he didn't want to deal with.

Slade seemed to sense Dick's hesitancy to attack, so lowered his stance.

"I want you to attack me with everything you've got. As if your life depends on it, as if I was Zucco – "

White hot fury engulfed Dick as he charged at Slade. How dare he mention that murder.

He threw a sloppy punch at Slade, who easily caught the fist. Dick still wasn't thinking at all as he threw another punch at Slade, once again ending up in Slade's overly large fist.

Slade spun Dick around and gathered his hands, enveloping them with one of his own pulling them behind Dick's back.

Dick struggled to get free but the man's grip increased as he grasped Dick's shoulder with his free hand. Dick could feel the man's breath against his ear.

"Calm down. You're fighting with your anger; when you fight angry, you fight blind. You're not thinking, when you don't think, you don't win. Your opponents will endeavour to use any advantage they can against them. Don't give them any advantages, Dick"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

He pushed Dick away, causing him to stumble. Dick quickly regained his balance and made to charge again.

_Hold it Grayson. _Dick thought, his eyes flitting around the room. _Fight smart._

He broke into a run towards Slade and slid under the man's legs. Slade spun around but before he had chance to react, Dick flipped into a one handed handstand and delivered as powerful a kick as he could muster to Slade's chest before cartwheeling away.

He couldn't contain his excitement. He had hit him – _He _had actually managed to hit _Slade. _A big smile spread across Dick's face.

He looked up at Slade. The man was still standing in shock; his eye wide with shock.

"Ha-ha, yeah. I actually hit you!" Dick threw his fist in the air, "I didn't think I could do it, but I did."

He beamed up at him but quickly lost his grin.

Was Slade angry?

Was he mad that Dick had got a hit in? He had only been doing what the man had asked – he shouldn't be angry should he?

Maybe the man didn't really want to teach him; maybe he just wanted to shove the power he had over Dick in his face; prove he was better, stronger.

Slade began to walk over to him. Dick's heart almost stopped as he stood rooted to the spot, waiting for the reaper to claim him.

_I'm dead,_ Dick thought.

Slade was in front of him, his hand raised slightly.

_I am so dead._

A hand clamped down on Dick's should.

_Oh boy, he is so going to – _

"Nice job." Slade said, Dick's eyes shot up as he looked up at the man towering above him; a wave of relief flooded his entire being.

"Thanks!" Dick beamed, his smile returning as a mischievous grin "I gotcha; bet you didn't see that coming, Mr know it all."

"I must admit – no I did not expect to be attacked by a flying squirrel." Slade drawled, shooting a wry look at Dick.

"Hey! I am not a squirrel." Dick huffed, though it came out whinier than he would have liked.

"Really? You could have fooled me." Slade smirked as he lifted his hand to ruffle Dick's hair.

"Hey – "Dick began in annoyance, but to his dismay, the hand remained to ruffle his hair once more before retreating.

Dick huffed slightly and pouted as he began his desperate attempt to fix his hair; the only person allowed to do that was his Dad. He heard Slade chuckle from behind him.

"Cute." The man drawled.

Dick flushed and diverted his gaze to the floor. He heard footsteps moving away from him, he looked up to see Slade standing in the centre of the training room.

Time: 4:00 PM

The next part of his lesson consisted of avoiding Slade's attacks adrenalin pumped through his veins in such a way that he was reminded of the times him and Raymond used to go train racing back in the circus, he loved the way the wind blew through his hair as he flipped from train – to train. Granted, it had gotten him into a lot of trouble when his parents found out that he had been doing that, never the less, he still remembered the thrill he received.

Dick hadn't realised he had zoned out until he found himself flung over Slade's shoulder. He landed on the training mat area with a thud. He didn't know whether Slade purposely threw him there or not but he was thankful, as landing on the hard, unforgiving floor would have hurt. A lot.

Despite the relatively soft landing, Dick was still struggling to catch his breath. Slade walked over and held his hand out. Dick accepted and was hoisted up.

"Play to your strengths Dick; you're an acrobat. You are more flexible than me – use that to your advantage next time," Slade lectured "well I can see your mind isn't in this exercise at the moment, so why don't we try something else"

Slade walked over to the weapons case and pulled out the bow and quiver Dick had seen previously, he walked over to a door Dick hadn't noticed and gestured for Dick to follow him.

Dick did so and discovered that behind the door was a shooting range, he saw a number of guns on the wall and he felt a knot in his stomach. The man being a murderer once again popped into his mind. He had almost forgotten the fact as the man seemed so…human. He couldn't picture someone who killed to be human, even in his sleep Zucco wasn't human, he appeared as a grotesque demon from hell.

Dick felt something cold being thrust into his grip; he looked up to see Slade positioning the bow correctly. He walked Dick over to stand in front of one of the targets; he gave him a number of instructions on how to hold and fire it safely, before aiming and firing it for him. Dick could feel the vibration from the string as the arrow went soaring and hit the centre ring of the target.

"Whoa…" Dick trailed of, he felt Slade move from his side and back away.

"Now you try." The man said.

Dick replayed Slade's instructions in his head, aimed, fired and… missed.

His second attempt bounced of the wall and went sailing towards Slade who caught it, without batting an eyelid.

"Careful" Slade barked.

Dick had a good aim; he had been taught how to throw knives accurately by the circus's resident knife thrower. Maybe if he aimed a little higher than he wanted like he had done back in the circus, he would have better luck.

His next try hit the target, but barely burrowing its head in the outer ring so he tried again, calculating what angle he needed to aim at.

The next arrow went shooting straight towards the centre of the target and landed almost dead in the centre. Dick heard slow and heavy clapping from behind him. He turned to face Slade; he had a look in his eye, pride… perhaps.

"You have an impeccable aim once you got the hang of it, how did you get such a good aim?" Slade asked.

Dick figured that there was no reason not to tell the man so walked over to him. He stopped as he reached him.

"Back in the circus I used to go and watch the other acts train, they used to teach me all sorts of stuff; I figured that if I aimed the bow like I used to aim knives I would have a better chance of hitting something."

"You mean other than me?" the man enquired with a smirk. Dick blushed heavily and diverted his gaze, muttering his apology through his embarrassment.

The man chuckled and once again tousled Dick's hair, Dick realised that getting in a strop over it would just make him look like a baby. He decided to change the subject.

"I still don't get why you're teaching me this stuff, I mean I'm not gonna kill anyone." Dick stated firmly.

"Well if I don't teach you how to fend for yourself no one else will."

"You're a criminal, why do you care?"

"Think of it as community service – I'm atoning for all of my sins." Slade mused.

Dick could feel tears fighting to escape but regained his composure. The man was making him out to be some charity case he had taken pity on, he hadn't seen potential, he had seen an opportunity, and now Dick was just a burden. No; the man kidnapped him, he had no right to treat Dick like a charity case, he didn't ask for the man to drug him and take him to his home.

"I DON'T WANNA BE HERE! I am not some charity case you Je – "Dick yelled at the man.

Slade stood up and stalked towards Dick, he now felt like he was facing a lion. Dick shrank back in fear. Slade grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up to eye level.

"You will speak to me with respect Richard," The man said calmly yet deadly "Do I make myself clear."

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes Sir." Dick mumbled, a tear escaping his blue orbs. He began to wipe his eyes and Slade released him.

As soon as Dick reached the floor he ran towards the door.

"Where do you think you are going young man?"

"AWAY FROM YOU!" Dick cried as he flung the door open and escaped the room.

0000-Slade Wilson-0000

Location: Haunt, Jump City

Date: 8th July 2013

Time: 5:45

He let the boy leave. Of course he could have stopped him; he could've gone after him, but he didn't. Dick needed time to cool down; besides, Slade felt bad, he shouldn't have said what he did. Even as a joke. Now the boy thought he was just a charity case and that was far from the truth. Now that he thought about it, he didn't blame Dick for exploding. He had just made Dick feel utterly worthless.

_I am such an idiot. _He thought as he made his way to the boy's room.

He soon found himself outside the door. He knocked. No reply. He turned the handle and pushed the door open, though there was some unexpected resistance. The boy must be sat in front of it. Carefully, to avoid hurting him, Slade pushed the door open enough so he could slip through.

He instantly saw the boy burry his face in his knees upon realising his defences had been breached. Slade crouched down in front of him and lifted his head up by his chin. The boy's eyes were puffy and his cheeks were stained with tears. He tried to pull away but Slade wouldn't let him.

"Dick –"

"Just leave me alone." The boy sobbed.

"I didn't mean what I said. You are not a charity case here Dick and I'm sorry that I made you feel like one."

Slade wasn't sure how to proceed. He was out of practice, no having used any parenting skills for such a long time. He had apologised, which was a rare occurrence in itself. He reached out with his other hand to wipe some of Dick's tears away. That seemed to work because Dick's sobbing quietened to sniffling.

He then placed the hand not supporting the boy's chin in his mop of raven hair, and ran his fingers through it. Dick seemed to calm down slightly, seeming to collapse from exhaustion into Slade's arms, his head resting against Slade's chest.

"I miss them…" Dick trailed off; his voice was so quiet that without his enhanced senses, Slade probably wouldn't have heard him.

Not knowing what else to do, Slade removed his hand from Dick's chin and began to rub the boy's back, his other hand remaining in his hair.

It had been so long since Slade had done anything like this, that it felt awkward, alien almost. He wasn't one for showing his emotions or providing comfort. He had managed for his own children so he guessed he would have to manage for the seven year old he now had in his possession.

Slade could hear soft but shallow breathing, Dick was asleep. He looked at his watch, it was almost six o'clock, he sighed before shifting Dick so he could stand up. He carried Dick to his bed, pulled back the covers and slipped him in. He turned to leave, but stopped, he was suddenly hit with a long forgotten paternal instinct, urging him to push the boy's hair out of his face. He gave in, before hastily leaving the room.

It had only been a day and the blasted boy was turning him soft.

A/N

So please review


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: thanks for all the support, keep it coming! You guys rock. So this chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but I wanted to split it up to increase the tension. Also its part of a multi chapter long arc. Please review, any ideas would be greatly appreciated and I will try to incorporate them. Tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5

0000-Dick Grayson-0000

Location: unknown

Date: 29th July

Time: 10:00 am

Three months; that was how long he had been living with Slade. Three months. Did he like the guy? He wasn't sure. The man had never beaten him – excluding the occasional backhand for disrespect. He usually sent him to his room for disobedience or more often than not blatant disrespect. One would think that that would not be an effective punishment, but for someone like Dick it was. Dick was a very animated person; he loved to interact with people, in fact he thrived of it. Being in solitary confinement drove him crazy, he hated it – it was just too quiet.

He quickly learned that it was either get along with Slade or no one. He chose the former for the sake of his sanity.

All in all, Dick had been getting on surprisingly well with Slade ever since he had assured Dick that he wasn't a charity case. Dick was still rather embarrassed about getting upset over something so trivial, and even more so about accepting comfort from the man. Luckily Slade had decided not to mention it after the event. Dick had of course been unable to keep his smart mouth shut, generally resulting in him being locked in his room – yes locked ( turned out the door could be locked from the outside), or when Slade was really in a bad mood him receiving a backhand to the face. He would rather be hit than be shut in his room alone. Without something to concentrate on, his thoughts would take over.

One time he had got so desperate he had all but begged Slade to let him out. The man had refused but he did agree to give Dick something to do. That task usually consisted of projects relating to his lessons or even just puzzles to keep him occupied. At least it gave him something to focus on, when Dick didn't have anything to concentrate on his mind began to wander over to things he would rather not think about.

Since then Dick had been on his best behaviour.

He was sat in the living room watching cartoons. They had not long had breakfast and instead of studying like they usually did, Slade sent him to watch TV. Not that he minded; while he found robotics and computer manipulation interesting, it was nice to have a break.

Slade walked into the room, he was dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, his white hair neatly brushed. He was dressed for something other than training.

"Dick, go and get dressed, we are going out." The man said plainly.

Dick perked up, then he realised he was still in his pyjamas.

"Where are we going?"

"I have a business meeting and thought that you could use a change of scenery."

"Asterous!" Dick exclaimed. He jumped up and ran to his room. Dick reached his room and rummaged through his draw for underwear and socks, quickly depositing of the worn items in the wash bag and pulling the new on. He then fumbled around for a pair of skinny jeans that allowed maximum flexibility, a big must in Dick's book. He almost fell trying to pull them on, he was so excited; he actually got to go outside.

He was about to leave his room when he realised something.

_Right,_ He thought._ Shirt would be good._

Dick turned back to his drawers and grabbed a black t-shirt with a blue 'V' going from shoulder to shoulder.

He returned to the living room and noticed that Slade was now wearing a cream jacket over his shirt. He threw Dick his red hooded jacket. He pulled it in over his top.

"Asterous…?" Slade trailed of questioningly.

"The opposite of disasterous," Dick stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "you know like how like is the opposite of dislike."

"You know I don't think the same rule applies… remind me to get you a dictionary." Dick could hear the smirk without needing to look up. Dick, rather immaturely, pulled a face at the man.

"You know, if the wind changes, your face will stick like that."

"Will not!" Dick protested, though the man said it such a serious tone that Dick began to doubt himself. Both his tone and face were completely steady.

"Really, I can already see it happening." The man deadpanned.

"Is that what happened to you?" Dick asked with a smirk, quickly ducking to avoid the playful swat to his head.

"Watch it, that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one day."

Slade led him out of the haunt, though not before blindfolding him. They walked outside and Dick was met with a fresh breeze; and a brightness that Dick had to blink several times to adjust to. Slade was led through countless alleyways into the main street. It had taken them about ten minutes to reach the main street, so Dick made a mental note to himself. Dick was trying to figure out where he was, he had a good memory but didn't recognise anything.

_Damn_, _I guess I haven't been here before._

"Watch where you're going." Someone yelled as Dick knocked into them. Dick looked around to apologise, only to realise Slade was gone.

Panic settled in; he was lost, in a city he didn't know._ Nice going Grayson._

He was in big trouble. One Slade would most likely be angry, and two he had absolutely no idea where he was and nowhere to go even if he did. The day seemed to be off to a terrific start.

Not knowing what else to do, Dick retreated to the alley he had just followed Slade through. Maybe if he went back to the haunt –

"Hey, look what we have here boys."

Dick turned around to be faced with five teenagers dressed in matching leather jackets, some had bandanas on and others had sunglasses. They were your typical Gang, rough and probably stupid.

Dick's first instinct was to get back into the main street, where there were plenty of people around. His path was unfortunately blocked.

"You know, it aint wise to walk around all by ya self kid." The voice from before said; he guessed that he must have been the leader as the group as his jacket was slightly different with studs on the shoulder and the way he was standing at the front of the pack. He had short black hair which was spiked up using a generous supply of hair gel. He had a youthful appearance that seemed to have been warped by hatred and hardships. He looked as if he may have once been a kind heart; Dick had a way of reading people and he could only wonder what had happened to the teen.

"Yeah, you could've been hurt." Another voice piped in, though Dick couldn't tell who had spoken.

"Lucky we found ya." rang another voice.

Dick wasn't convinced; these boys gave Dick a bad vibe. They were thugs. He could tell. Hopefully they were as stupid as Dick thought; if they were he could trick them.

"I can't find my daddy." Dick muttered innocently, trying to act defenceless like any other kid who wasn't being trained by a mercenary. It seemed to work as the ring leader stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Idiot.

"It's alright kid, come with us, we'll take you somewhere safe to wait." He said menacingly.

That was a big no-no in Dick's book. He needed to get out of there. Fast. He kneed the teen towering over him in the crotch and proceeded to hit him with the roundhouse kick he had been practicing with Slade. The teen fell back, giving Dick the chance he had been waiting for.

To the left of him was a tall metal fence, conveniently enough there was a rubbish bin alongside it. He leapt on and used the extra height to hurtle himself over the fence with a tremendous force. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not stopping to check behind him; he didn't need to, he could tell by the rattling of the fence and the excessive swearing that the teens were in pursuit.

He could feel the thrill of the chase and Dick wanted to fight them. He was itching to try out what Slade had been teaching him but he knew he couldn't take them all at once.

So he kept running…right into a dead end.

_Well played Grayson._

"Got nowhere to run now you little brat; you'll regret the stunt you played back there. Hold him still."

Before Dick could react he was grabbed by two strong pairs of arms. He struggled relentlessly to get free but they physically dominated him.

He saw the leader pull back his fist before swinging it into Dick's stomach. Dick gritted his teeth and groaned quietly. Slade had been holding back. No doubt about it. The thrill soon ended.

He had to do something before they beat all the strength he had left out of him. If he didn't act soon he wouldn't be able to. Using the agility of an acrobat and the grip on his arms for a boost, Dick swung himself upwards to deliver a powerful kick to the teen's face, resulting in a satisfying crack as blood erupted from his nose.

_Serves him right,_ Dick thought with a cocky smirk.

"OW! You little shit, you broke my freaking nose!" He screamed as he launched a ruthless punch at Dick's face making his check sting. Dick's eyes watered but he refused to cry in front of them. He would definitely have a bruise in the morning, if not sooner.

The teen backed away and Dick spotted a glint of metal as he produced a knife. The light from above him suddenly didn't seem as bright anymore as it was reflected of the shiny metal surface. The whole world seemed to stop as his life flashed before his eyes. His first performance with his parents; the thrill of flight, the pride of success; racing with Raymond; His parents falling –

_Not good,_ he thought, snapping himself out of his dreamlike state.

He really wanted Slade to show up; _he_ could take them all without even breaking a sweat. He would sure feel a lot safer if the man was with him; but he wasn't, Dick was all alone. No one was going to save him.

The knife was pulled back and directed at Dick. He closed his eyes bracing himself for the impending moment when metal would meet skin and it would all be over.

_Mom…Dad…I'll see you guys soon._

A/N

So guys what did you think, could this be the end for Dickie? Is the end of this story near? I guess you'll have to find out… oh and review, reviews make Dick happy. Sorry its short but I felt like this was a good place to end it.

P.S Does anyone like young justice; if you do I hope you liked the slight reference.

Ven


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: I am SOOO SORRY about the super long wait, but I have had a load of controlled assessments and I have had literally no time to type this up, but I would like to thank everyone once again for your support. Sorry for the cliff hanger too. I hope you don't hate me too much for that hehe XD if there are any mistakes let me know.

Location: unknown

Date: 29th July

Time: 10:30am

That moment never came; all was silent as metal sliced through air, Dick braced himself, at first thinking it was the knife, though he quickly realised that it was coming from the opposite direction. The resounding clang of metal meeting metal caused Dick's eyes to hesitantly flutter open. His teenage tormenter was now empty handed; the knife lying uselessly on the floor next to a discarded bin lid.

_Huh?_

"Was that you I heard screaming back there Craig?" A cocky voice tormented from the shadows.

_Yep._

The hands released him and backed away from him relinquishing back to the safety of their pack. Shocked, Dick turned around to see a teenager. Dick strained his eyes to get a better look at his supposed rescuer but a red hood was cloaking the teen's features. Over his red hoodie he wore a black leather jacket with a thick red stripe riding the length of his left arm. Under the jacket Dick saw the edge of a white top. He also wore dark jeans and converses. All in all the guy looked like some street thug turned hero, especially the way his hood covered his face.

"Hood." Craig spat with obvious antipathy.

_Hood? Well obviously that isn't his real name. Maybe he is some kind of street hero._

Dick had heard of people like him during his days in the circus, generally they were do good citizens who spent their nights protecting innocents. Then there was The Batman. He had taken that idea to the extreme; going further than any vigilante had gone before, he dressed up as a giant bat for crying out loud. The guy was a living legend and Dick admired him, which was one of the reasons that Dick didn't agree with Slade. Correction, one of the _many_ reasons. He didn't hate the man though. Not anymore. He just didn't like what he did. He admired Slade for his abilities; he just didn't understand why the man chose to use them as he did.

"Come on Craig." One of the guys said.

"I'm not done with this little – "

_Hold it. Where is this going?_

"It's not worth it."

_Wow. Way to make a guy feel appreciated_ Dick smirked.

"Wow. One of you morons actually has some sense of self preservation. Consider me impressed." Hood ridiculed, and Dick could tell he was smirking as it was the same tone Slade often used when he was mocking him.

Dick struggled, to hold back a snicker, but he really didn't want to push his luck. He still didn't know who the guy was batting for.

Craig grumbled unhappily as he wiped blood from his nose. He was fuming, but he retreated never the less. Leaving Dick with some guy who had scared off a group of thugs just by standing there.

Great.

0000-Slade-0000

Location: Jump city

Date: 29th July

Time: 10:50 am

Five minutes.

_Five blasted minutes_ he had directed his attention from his unbelievably headstrong charge; apparently that was all the damn boy needed to disappear. Had he ran away?

Slade doubted it; the boy had been opening up, almost accepting Slade as somewhat of a father figure. Sure he still refused to learn anything along the line of killing but Slade didn't think he would run. He had nowhere to go after all. He must have gotten lost.

When he got his hands on that boy there was going to be hell to pay, not to mention the tracking device he was going to invest in, to keep tabs on his unruly apprentice. Slade was annoyed to say the least; not only was he going to be late to his meeting with the Al Ghul's, but if anything happened to Dick –

Well, losing his apprentice would be counterproductive, that was all there was to it. If anything happened to the boy it wouldn't be in Slade's best interests.

He wasn't worried; he was merely protecting his assets. Besides, it wasn't as if the kid was his son._ No; that boat had long since sailed._

He knew where they were – his children. He had always made sure he knew where they were, but it had become clear when Addie had remarried, if it hadn't already when she had shot his eye out, that she had moved on...they all had. He would only cause them more pain if he re-entered their life. He didn't deserve another chance at happiness.

The incident with Joey had proved that, he had been so arrogant in his abilities, so cocky that it had cost more than his pride. It had cost his son's voice. For once in his life Slade Wilson had had no control over the situation, he had been completely helpless. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

No. He couldn't dwell in the past.

He had an apprentice to find, he just hoped that Dick hadn't gotten himself into too much trouble.

0000-Dick-0000

Location: unknown

Date: 29th July

Time: 11:00 am

"You're welcome." The figure said with a somewhat cocky tone to his voice that sounded like it had recently broken.

He was leaning against the wall, his right leg bent and his foot pressed flat against the wall making it easy to spring into action at any given moment. He seemed to be considering something as he tilted his head slightly in thought.

"Are you at least gonna tell me your name; I did just save you from those scary boys." The figure mocked.

"Are you gonna tell me yours?" Dick countered instantly with a challenging look.

The teen chuckled under his breath before pulling his hood down, allowing Dick to see his face.

"Nice catch kid. The name's Jason." He said walking forward extending his hand to Dick.

"Richard; but most people call me Dick." He said accepting the hand while taking in the teen's appearance. He had fairly short black hair which was gelled up at the front. His face held youth to it but his eyes suggested that he had seen things that no teen – scratch that no one should ever have to experience.

"So what are you doing out here alone? This isn't the most child friendly part of Jump City."

Dick smirked triumphantly. Now he knew where he was, he couldn't wait to see Slade's face when he found out. Now Dick had an advantage, he knew something Slade didn't think he did.

"I… um got lost…" Dick trailed off, not really wanting to expose details to some guy he had just met so he tried to change the subject "Anyway, who were those guys?"

"Undesirables; they work for a much bigger organisation. The H.I.V.E, they recruit kids to fight and perform crimes for them, usually Meta humans but they take on humans too. It's a school of sorts, but it's not a nice place to be."

"How do you know all this?" Dick asked, his curiosity getting away from him.

"I was recruited eight years ago. I was eight at the time. The training was tough, but it made me stronger. They wanted me to be a criminal – hurt innocent people. I tend to get a kick out of making people like them pay. They deserve it." Jason said, his voice laced with regret and determination

_There it is again. The idea of Bad guys deserving whatever they get. Maybe Slade is right. Dick thought._

"I parted with them on bad terms. Craig and I – we were friends, but we didn't share the same ideas. I tried to reason with him but he wouldn't hear it."

"I'm sorry." Dick said. He meant it too, Jason seemed so sincere and Dick couldn't help finding himself warming up to the guy.

"Don't be: ever since I've been making it my goal to ruin their organisation." Jason said with a sly smirk.

Dick smiled.

0000 – Slade – 0000

Location: unknown

Date: 29th July

Time: 11:20 am

He had been searching for half an hour when he heard what sounded like Dick's animated voice.

"… And then I kicked him in the face!" the boy exclaimed.

_Of course; half an hour and already the boy has gone and done something stupid._

"Craig is an idiot, bet that knocked his pride down a bit."

Who was the boy with and what on earth was he talking about? Slade wondered as he hurried towards the voices. He was surprised to find Dick looking slightly dishevelled and standing in the alley they had passed on their way out of the haunt. One of the only places he hadn't looked.

_Of course._

There was a teenage boy standing next to him and Slade frowned slightly, not liking the look of the boy.

"Dick!"

Dick turned around to face him, he waved frantically at him. Slade's anger grew as he saw a large purple bruise on the boy's face. His eyes shot to the teen next to him. The teen caught onto this, shifting slightly. Slade walked over to Dick, resisting the urge to knock the teen's head off; instead focusing on his charge. He gently brushed a finger against the offending cheek though the action still caused the boy to wince. Slade moved his hand to the side of Dick's head and places his other on the boy's shoulder.

"What happened Dick? Are you ok?"

Dick's smile fell as he hesitated.

"Ok, you can tell me later, now let's get you out of here." He said hoisting the boy up. Dick rested his head against Slade's shoulder. Slade subconsciously tightened his grip slightly as he turned to leave.

"Hey mister," Slade turned around" you should keep a closer eye on your kid"

"_Don't_ tell me how to take care of _my_ kid." Slade snapped, sending the boy a sharp glare.

A/N: Another chapter done. Please review; they keep me going, and yes Slade did refer to Dickie as his kid.

Next chapter we meet the Al Ghuls, maybe a certain little assassin will make an entrance. Who knows? XD


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